Stéphane Ashpool is a familiar name to us all. It’s hard not to have been touched, at least once, by his brilliant creativity, born and raised in Parisian suburban culture, where basketball, music and fashion are magically interwoven.

We can, however, join him for a closer look at his own world, a concentric dimension that starts from the heart of Pigalle – the fortress that continues to inspire him –, and branches into basketball and the ebb and flow of contemporary design.

From the unwritten rules of the playground to the uniforms of the French delegation for Paris 2024, created for Le Coq Sportif, winding our way through his long-standing partnership with Nike and relentless commitment to the new generations of its community, we got the chance to explore the Parisian designer’s imagination. Want to come along?

PIGALLE, THE ESSENCE OF EVERYTHING

Between the 9th and 18th arrondissements of the Ville Lumière, the lights have always had a different kind of charm. A distinctive street allure. Both high and low. Brave and profound. It is the pulsing of Pigalle’s colorful veins, a rhythm that welcomed and shaped a young mind: an extraordinary symphony that has relentlessly moved the now 42-year-old Parisian’s thoughts.

“It was a great fortune to grow up in Pigalle. I’ve always seen it as a frontier between the museum Paris we know and northern Paris, with all its cultural energy, myths and, at times, its ruins. I had the opportunity to take something from both worlds; they merged organically. I have no sense of nostalgia for that more dangerous Pigalle of the past, but at the same time, I want it to retain its charm. I’m part of the change in this neighborhood, and I want to make sure it’s not excessive. I want those born and raised in Pigalle to be the architects of its evolution.”

“My passion for sport was born in this neighborhood. All the children were running after a football and all I saw was a basket tied to a tree branch. That’s when I fell in love with basketball. My best friend’s father, Paul, was from New York, so I went with them to America sometimes. The uniforms of the major sports teams got me interested in color combinations”.

“As I grew up, sports, Paris and fashion were all around me. As a child, I was much more shy, so I observed a lot. I’ve always loved images. The sporting spirit and aesthetic, the beauty of my city and its different styles, the streets of northern Paris… All of this has fueled my imagination and artistic vision”.

“My greatest achievements in life have been to bring together the people who grew up around me and to bring them together for a good reason. I wasn’t the one who started this, and I never had the idea to create a community. But I’ve always had strong leadership: I was captain of my team and started coaching children early on, when I was 17. Coaching for ten years taught me how to surround myself with people. Over time, I learned how to help and create healthy connections, not only with the younger generation but with as many people as possible.”

MOTHER BASKETBALL

There are few epiphanies capable of changing a life forever. In Ashpool’s case, the sacred step of basketball not only accommodated his thirst for knowledge but also determined the entire progression of his path. It’s a path marked by the creation of a now iconic brand, forged in the aesthetics of the ‘Game’, like Pigalle, and by his world-famous court-cathedral, a playground-work of art. For Ashpool, however, basketball is much more than that; it’s his guiding spirit, embodied by a single man, Michael Jordan, on which he bases every part of himself.

“I grew up during the time of Jordan; it was easy to love his aesthetic. The shape of his body, his face, his game, his attitude, his special relationship with Nike and its design evolution. At the time, I was already interested in the nature of art in general, and the two went hand in hand.”

“For me, MJ was like a member of the family. I never went pro, but basketball gave me a lot of tools to deal with life. For example, when I go through hard times, I have this kind of mental self-defense: I always think you can just as easily lose by 15 as win by 1. When my energy’s low, I think about a heavy, slow-motion dunk. The Game follows me every day. Every single day.”

PARIS 2024, VISIONS OLYMPIQUES

Elevating the aesthetics of your home city and nation is something for the few. To triumph on a unique occasion like the Olympic celebration is something for the chosen few. Pressure and pride. Instinct and training. That collaboration with Le Coq Sportif, a legendary brand for every social class of the French people, is proof of Ashpool’s clear philosophical vision. That vision stands at the crossroads of haute couture, the grit of the underground, and sports culture. And it is the banner of a career that is equally aware of its past and present.

“It was great when Le Coq Sportif asked to meet. I don’t want to sound conceited, but I was expecting this project when they told me about the Olympic collection. I’m a real fan of French sports and it was incredible to think I could be part of everything here in Paris. The fans, the national celebration, the city vibes… It’s just a great feeling.”

“Le Coq Sportif is a small, iconic, brand that builds identity. They work in a timeworn style. I decided to produce the vast majority of the garments here in our territory, which was a great challenge. Things would have been different if I had done it with other brands or outside resources. I’m convinced I’m the right person to innovate the image of a brand like that, with all that history. I believe every legendary brand need people who embrace its heritage and, at the same time, modernize it.”

“For the French uniforms, I wanted a blank canvas. I took time to imagine every single design and profile. I don’t want to lie; I don’t think too much about storytelling during my creative process. Sometimes, I do things that make sense without being aware of them; other people point them out to me later. I believe in churning out spontaneous ideas and then working them over afterwards. My work is really free.”

“I love my country, and I’m proud to be French, but I’m not a big fan of flags. They have all these barriers separating colors… and I’m inspired by shades and nuance; I’ve been using them a lot in recent years. So shading was my goal from the outset. It was nice to play around, combine blue or red with white, and create new colors. Then, it’s natural that you connect this fusion of colors with our national melting pot. I think I’m still figuring out that I played a part in something the French will remember decades from now…”

BIGGER THAN HOOPS

Ashpool’s past and present are also predictions of his future. That real contact of a pick-up game and the importance of a mentor are just some of the ingredients that have made the Parisian designer a community-maker, in the truest sense of the word. Thanks to the life-long influence that basketball has had on Ashpool, Pigalle continues to be a cradle for Naismith’s sport, where every generation has the chance to discover the world through a ball.

“The only reason I like having money in my pocket is to travel, stop somewhere, play ball and meet people. When I was young, I was looking to compete. I wanted to show how a Frenchman did it. Now I just want to have a good time and connect with others. Different places, ages, cultures and basketball – that’s all I dream about.”

“I can always give more, even to the new generation in Pigalle. I took some kids to the Philippines, Japan and other places. I was lucky to be supported by brands like Nike, and I am grateful for that. Nike helped me a lot and let me do what I wanted. They even financed the Pigalle camp. At some point, you need money to do things. For example, someone recently asked if I wanted to sell a painting of LeBron’s hands that I have in my house. I said no. Then I thought that, for a certain amount of money, I guess I would. That money would allow me and other young people to travel in pursuit of basketball.”

“The best memory I have is connected to Filipino basketball. We were on Pat Island, on a strip of land surrounded by a blue lagoon. There was just a family and a hoop. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; there was this deep sense of artistry in everything. We played with the local kids; it was some hardcore basketball. And I tried to teach them something. I also did some trash-talking because I like to talk trash on the court. But we didn’t have to say anything to each other…. I introduced myself and we started playing. That’s the magic of basketball.”